Subnautica 2 sells over 1 million copies in under two hours

May 14, 2026

Subnautica 2 launched in early access on Steam on May 14 and quickly sold more than 1 million copies. The underwater survival sequel reached 467,000 concurrent players shortly after release and earned a Very Positive rating from over 1,000 reviews.

The game comes from developer Unknown Worlds after a legal dispute with former publisher Krafton. Court documents show Krafton CEO Changhan Kim used an AI chatbot in an attempt to avoid a $250 million bonus payment tied to the game's revenue. A judge ruled in favor of Unknown Worlds in March, restoring studio control and extending the bonus timeline.

人们在说什么

X users celebrated Subnautica 2's explosive early access launch with over 1 million copies sold in hours and nearly 500k concurrent players, praising the game's appeal while some highlighted behind-the-scenes publisher drama and dev resilience.

SUBNAUTICA 2 HIT 453,445 PLAYERS IN 1 HOUR

game launched today after one of the most insane runs in gaming history.

What we know:

-> CEO used ChatGPT to dodge a $250M bonus
-> The plan involved firing the studio's founders
-> Judge ruled breach, reinstated the CEO
-> Bonus… https://t.co/Lt3fS89B34

— BP (@everyonebpup) 2026年5月14日

Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds confirmed the game sold 1 million copies within the first hour of launch and had 467,000 concurrent players on Steam. https://t.co/bLJS8OvH98 pic.twitter.com/4reNiyG7zs

— IGN (@IGN) 2026年5月14日

Subnautica 2 sold 1 million copies hours after Early Access launch.

The dev team quietly dropped character designs from all promo material that would have hurt sales.

Because they listened to the market. pic.twitter.com/MLM87pwzQO

— Yorch Torch Games (@YorchTorchGames) 2026年5月14日

Subnautica 2
✅1 million copies sold in under an hour
✅ 467K peak concurrent players on Steam at launch
✅ Biggest Early Access launch of 2026
✅ Devs sued their publisher, won, and shipped anyway 👏 pic.twitter.com/3TOzvGajDO

— PressX (@FifthGenFlow) 2026年5月14日

Subnautica 2 has hit 1 million copies sold in the first hour! Not players, not total engagements, but copies sold! Congratulations @UnknownWorlds! #Subnautica2 pic.twitter.com/GnvNMcPTPS

— Mnemosyne Everly (@EverlyMnemosyne) 2026年5月14日

来源

• https://kotaku.com/subnautica-2-sells-over-1-million-copies-in-less-than-two-hours-2000696119
• https://kotaku.com/subnautica-2-guide-tips-unknown-world-tadpole-crafting-2000696062
• https://www.eurogamer.net/subautica-2-non-violence
• https://www.eurogamer.net/subnautica-2-has-hooked-me-on-an-irresistible-mystery
• https://kotaku.com/subnautica-2-impressions-early-access-release-unknown-worlds-2000696024